Strickland last finalist standing for EDC position

ALBANY — Three finalists for the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission presidency became, through attrition, one Friday, leaving the EDC with the man who’s been interim president since former top man Ted Clem left in February, and the one — some board members privately said — they wanted all along.

But the committee involved in the search for the new EDC head said the withdrawal of two of three finalists does not diminish the strength of last-man-standing Justin Strickland, who could be confirmed as president after an interview with a seven-member EDC Presidential Search Committee April 22.

“Right now, I’m just looking forward to that interview, to speaking with the members of the Search Committee about the EDC,” Strickland said late Friday. “My goal is to move our organization forward.”

Strickland, who was the Economic Development Commission’s vice president for business development before moving into the interim position, said he wants to continue to build on the commission’s strengths.

“What becoming president would mean is making slight changes in directives, putting in some of my own touches to help bolster staff’s efforts,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed working with (EDC Chairman) Jay (Smith) and the board on an interim basis, and I hope to help us continue to build on our strengths. I look forward to serving at the will of our board.”

Strickland, who received a marketing degree from the University of Georgia and worked in the banking industry before coming to the Economic Development Commission in 2007, was named a certified economic developer in 2013.

“Justin has the experience we were looking for, and he is passionate about Albany,” Smith said. “Frankly, a number of economic developers we talked to about our opening told us they felt Justin was a great local candidate and they didn’t want to compete with him for the position.

“Justin has made the kind of connections in the state our president needs, and he knows the economic development system of Georgia.”

Consultant Charlie Gatlin, who headed the search for EDC presidential candidates, said he worked with the commission’s search committee — comprising Smith, Richard Crowdis, James Taylor, Cynthia George, Anthony Parker, Daniel Simmons and Len Dorminey — to develop a preferred candidate description and profile for the position. Gatlin said in a conference call with the committee at Friday morning’s meeting that he contacted 16 candidates who met the profile and 13 of them said “thanks, but no thanks.”

“It’s not that they weren’t necessarily interested in the position,” Gatlin said. “Most of them said they weren’t inclined to go against a strong local candidate like Justin, who has such an excellent reputation in the state.”

The other three candidates, including Strickland, who were interested in the position were contacted this week about setting up interviews, and that’s when the field narrowed to one.

“I contacted the candidates this week, and one said that, even though he was interested in the job, he didn’t want his name made public because it might jeopardize his current position,” Gatlin said. “The other — David Jenkins, who has worked as economic director for the city of Washington in Wilkes County — said he’d taken a job as planning/zoning commissioner of McDuffie County on Tuesday.”

Dougherty County Administrator Crowdis said that state law allows candidates to withdraw from consideration for a position before their names are made public.

Parker asked if the committee had completed its “due diligence” to the degree that it could move forward with the process with only one finalist. Crowdis said since the position had been advertised with the Georgia Economic Development Association and with the Southern Economic Development Council, the committee had met the requirements that would allow it to move forward with the process.

The full EDC board will vote on the recommendation of the Presidential Search Committee after it completes the April 22 interview.